ABSTRACT
The Gatsby look began in the summer of 1972 with Parisian designer Kenzo Takada's revival of the classic V-neck, red-and-blue-bordered tennis sweater. When it became an immediate success, Kenzo expanded on the tennis theme in earnest in his spring 1973 collections. The basic elements of the look included, the ubiquitous tennis sweater is little white pleated shirts ending just above the knee and small cloche hats pulled down to the eyebrow as daytime wear for women. The style received a further boost with the release in 1973 of a film based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novella, The Great Gatsby. American retailers and manufacturers enthusiastically embraced the style. Boston's Jordan Marsh reported that the tennis look sold well as resort wear. Lord & Taylor pushed the collection designed by Walter Albini, dubbed the godfather of the Italian Gatsby look. New York's Alexander's promoted the Gatsby theme in every department. Even Levi Strauss produced wide-legged, cuffed pants and V-neck sweaters.
